Renewables----GREAT STUFF

I was very glad to learn of our new assignment last week as the origin of my interest in green cities was in renewable energy. There is such a huge amount of work being done in this area and it’s about time we delve into it. I see there is one major issue with renewable energy today.

The government.

For decades different types of energy which can be considered renewable (solar, wind, and hydrogen), and clean but not quite renewable (geothermal and nuclear) have been available. Only recently however we are seeing the emergence of these resources becoming mainstream. Why is this you may ask? Well, only recently has the government had problems getting oil- or claims they are having problems (a whole different issue). The reason why coal and oil is so cheap is because it is highly government funded and subsidized. If the government bothered shifting its funding to different types of energy sources there would not need to be a whole “movement” to have the use of them widespread.

It is only logical to use renewable or clean energy from both an environmental and economic standpoint. The environmental benefits include:

1. Zero emissions
2. Minimal to no environmental impact
3. No water pollution

1. Renewable energy resources do not emit carbon during energy conversion. As mentioned in a previous blogpost, fossil fuel plants are very inefficient. This leaves plenty of room for carbon to romp around warming our atmosphere.

2. When harvesting coal or natural gas, there is a great deal of land abuse. Mines are dug hundreds of feet inside mountains ruining the structure of the land. This destroys habitats of native species as well as makes the surrounding areas ugly. Also, do you want a coal burning plant near your home? I don’t! It smells and looks awful.

3. One repercussion of fossil fuels that many people neglect to consider is the pollution of water. Runoff from plants contaminates water supplies for humans and other animals. Renewable energy is clean and does not have any waste so there is little to worry about along the lines of water pollution.

Economically there are also several benefits which were spotlighted in the chapters in Green Urbanism called Living on Solar Income.

Solar energy is very unique as it will actually pay for itself within roughly 10-15 years. This means that if you install solar cells in your home now, in 15 years you will have saved a considerable amount on energy use. Also, many jobs are created as solar cells must be installed and maintained of the years.

An interesting aspect of renewable energy is to look at geothermal and nuclear (fusion) power. Even though these are two “almost renewable” types of energy what impact may they have on the environment. Geothermal power entails the drilling down hundreds of miles into the earth’s core to get heat which is converted to energy. What impact will this have on the earth and its internal temperature if any?

So, while being cautious around nuclear and geothermal energy, the other renewables seem very feasible and beneficial to society. Now, all it will take is the government to subsidize renewable energy and we no longer need to get “burned”.